| And a time to every purpose under the heaven: | | | | Republic Socrates explores the concept of |
| | | | justice through examining both the just |
| A time to be born, and a time to die; | | | | society and the just individual, and then he |
| | | | goes on to delineate their common elements. |
| A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that | | | | On the societal level he notes that a just |
| which is planted; | | | | community is made up of a number of vital |
| | | | components parts: rulers who govern, workers |
| A time to kill, and a time to heal; | | | | who labour, and an army that functions to |
| | | | protect them both. In the individual he finds |
| A time to break down, a | | | | a similar configuration - the mind that |
| | | | governs the body, the limbs that do the work, |
| Four of the boys at training tonight are | | | | and the 'themos' (which is often translated |
| preparing themselves for their first fight at | | | | as 'temper' or 'aggression') that plays a |
| our forthcoming Christians vs. Lions | | | | parallel role in protecting the individual. |
| promotion, scheduled for only three weeks | | | | Justice in the Republic consists in having |
| hence. All of these lads are boxers. | | | | all of the component parts (in either |
| | | | individual or society) being present and |
| Three of those four - Joel, Daniel and young | | | | working together properly. |
| Dave - are friends, finishing their last year | | | | |
| of school together. They are a great example | | | | In the wisdom of the ancient Greeks then, the |
| of how guys from different ethnic backgrounds | | | | 'themos' is the vital third component in the |
| (Australian, Latin American, and Lebanese | | | | human constitution, along with the mind and |
| respectively) can still be the best of mates. | | | | the body. Without the 'themos', no individual |
| The fourth guy, Louis, is an enormous | | | | is complete, and at a social level, no |
| Islander man. I'm not sure whether he's | | | | society will ever achieve a true state of |
| Tongan or from the Cook Islands, but he's a | | | | justice. |
| gentle giant really. He reminds me of | | | | |
| Mahendar - a regular here at the Youth | | | | It is my opinion that one of the negative |
| Centre. They're both big, black and burly, | | | | legacies of feminism in Western culture has |
| but with gentle hearts. Louis has a few years | | | | been an attempt to deny the 'themos', which |
| on the other boys who were there tonight. | | | | seems to be more strongly present in men than |
| He's a natural in the ring, and plays the | | | | in women. This has been for the most |
| role of the older brother very well indeed. | | | | understandable of reasons - because of the |
| | | | excesses of male violence. But perhaps it's |
| These four boys are the cream of our crop in | | | | time that we realised that trying to |
| the fight club at the moment. They are all | | | | eliminate 'themos' from society altogether is |
| capable pugilists, but more than that, they | | | | like trying to eliminate spiders and snakes |
| are each a good embodiment of what our club | | | | because we find them distasteful. We soon |
| is on about - courage, integrity, | | | | discover that the created order needs all of |
| self-discipline and teamwork. This isn't to | | | | its creatures - even those that some of us |
| say that none of them have ever been | | | | find ugly - if it is to function properly. |
| troublemakers. Indeed, I've got a court | | | | |
| appearance coming up with one of the boys, | | | | My experience with a vast number of men is |
| scheduled for shortly after his fight, and | | | | that they tend to be either functioning as |
| he's on quite serious charges. Even so, I've | | | | doormats to their wives and girlfriends, or |
| seen nothing but positive growth since he | | | | they're beating up on them. This is a |
| joined the club, and I'm hoping for positive | | | | reflection of the same crisis in dealing with |
| results both in his fight and in his court | | | | the 'themos'. When we attempt to repress the |
| case.What is it that makes fight training | | | | themos', it often spurts out in the most |
| such a powerful tool in the molding of young | | | | horrible and destructive of forms. When we |
| lives? There was a time when I thought of | | | | successfully repress it, we emasculate our |
| fighting as just another form of sport. I | | | | men, so that they're no longer able to stand |
| have come to believe though that fight | | | | up for anything. Ironically, of course, such |
| training taps into something deep in the male | | | | modern day men are not only unable to offer |
| psyche, in a way that no other sport does. | | | | any strength to society. They're no longer |
| | | | even attractive to the women they sought to |
| When I used to talk to my old girls in the | | | | please. |
| church about the problems we had with our | | | | |
| young people, they often used to say 'what we | | | | The only constructive alternative is for us |
| need is another war'. I always thought that | | | | to reharness the 'themos' and channel it |
| that was a terrible thing to say - that a war | | | | creatively. We need to get in touch with that |
| was the last thing that anybody wanted. And | | | | distinctive male energy - recognise it, |
| of course the girls didn't really want a war. | | | | affirm it, and then learn to bring it under |
| They had just experienced the benefit of | | | | control so that it can be put to good use. |
| being part of a community that had learnt to | | | | Perhaps when we are able to do this, then we |
| pull together through difficult times. And | | | | will see this country produce leaders of the |
| they had seen the positive effect that | | | | calibre of Martin Luther King Jr., Mother |
| soldiering could have on the lives of young | | | | Theresa, or Mahatma Ghandi - strong people of |
| men. | | | | principle who stand up powerfully for what |
| | | | they believe in. As it is, our leaders always |
| I believe that men were made to fight. It's | | | | seem to come across as being either 'wooses' |
| part of our genetic makeup. We may have | | | | or criminals or both. God knows we need some |
| managed to emerge from the jungle, but | | | | real men in this country who know what it |
| there's still a bit of the jungle in each of | | | | means to love their women, to be fathers to |
| us, and pugilistic activity keys right in to | | | | their children, and to serve God and their |
| those ancient impulses - releasing the wild | | | | community with their strength! |
| man within. | | | | |
| | | | Fight training, I do believe, is a means to |
| This theory isn't original to me of course. | | | | getting at that 'themos' and learning to |
| It's part of the fabric of the Bible - there | | | | bring it under control. When done in the |
| behind every great warrior-king who showed | | | | right way, fight training can help a young |
| himself to be a 'mighty man of God' in | | | | person to discover who they are and can help |
| battle, and behind Jacob, who went toe to toe | | | | them to bring their futures into focus. They |
| with God Himself and yet lived to talk about | | | | can then come to see their role as warriors |
| it (Genesis 32)! These were men who knew how | | | | in this society who will stand up and use |
| to fight and pray and bleed and serve. | | | | their energy to build a better community and |
| | | | to fight for things worth fighting for.What |
| For a more philosophical exposition on the | | | | about these boys who I watched training with |
| significance of fighting, we need look no | | | | me tonight? Will they go on to become 'mighty |
| further than Plato's Republic. | | | | men of God'? I don't know. But they're on the |
| | | | right track, and they're further ahead now |
| For those who haven't read it, in the | | | | than when they first started their training. |